In this video, we explain how accumulating scientific evidence ultimately led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change its guidance on the wearing of face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, continues to be criticized for saying in a March 2020 interview that “there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask.” But his comments were in line with CDC guidance at the time. The CDC recommended the use of face masks by those who had COVID-19 and their caregivers.
Then, in April, after health officials learned more about how much the virus was being transmitted by people without symptoms, the CDC reversed course and began recommending that everyone wear face coverings in public. At that point, Fauci, too, began encouraging universal mask use.
For more information, see our SciCheck article “Video Wrong About Fauci, COVID-19.”
Editor’s note: SciCheck’s COVID-19/Vaccination Project is made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The foundation has no control over our editorial decisions, and the views expressed in our articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the foundation. The goal of the project is to increase exposure to accurate information about COVID-19 and vaccines, while decreasing the impact of misinformation.